--- title: Do women with PMDD and PMS have worse attention and decision-making than healthy women? description: Yes. Women with PMDD show the poorest performance on attention and decision-making tasks, followed by women with PMS, then healthy women. The differences appe url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/transdiagnostic-neuropsychological-factors-in-women-with-premenstrual-dysphoric-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMDD and PMS have worse attention and decision-making than healthy women? Survey study, 2026 # Do women with PMDD and PMS have worse attention and decision-making than healthy women? Yes. Women with PMDD show the poorest performance on attention and decision-making tasks, followed by women with PMS, then healthy women. The differences appear linked to how severe symptoms are. Early or limited evidence 150 female university students aged 20 to 35 divided into PMS, PMDD, and asymptomatic control groups ## What they did Cross-sectional comparison study of 150 female university students aged 20 to 35, divided into three groups: PMS, PMDD, and healthy controls. Researchers tested sustained attention, impulse control, and decision-making using three computerized tasks during both premenstrual and postmenstrual phases. ## What they found The PMDD group consistently showed lower performance than PMS and control groups in sustained attention, inhibitory control, and risky decision-making. Women with PMS showed a decline in sustained attention only during the premenstrual phase, while PMDD and control groups showed no significant changes across cycle phases. ## What it means for you Women with PMDD and PMS may experience real difficulties with focus, impulse control, and making decisions, which could explain concentration problems some report. The main limits are that this was a small study from a single university, cross-sectional, and used purposive sampling. 150 Participants 20-35 Age range in years 3 Groups compared ## About the study Original title Transdiagnostic neuropsychological factors in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and premenstrual syndrome: a comparison of the premenstrual and postmenstrual phases Authors Torabi R, Nasiri F, Rahmani F Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 150 What was tested None - observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-026-01684-4](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-026-01684-4) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2021 Does hypnotherapy reduce pain and emotional distress in women with PMDD? Survey study, 2026 How aware are female students of PMDD and how does it affect their schoolwork? Survey study, 2026 How common is premenstrual tension and does it affect university students' studies? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Survey study, 2013 Are premenstrual symptoms linked to how women experience their body? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗